1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates the field of light sources using light emitting diodes (LEDs) and in particular to an apparatus and a method of collecting the energy radiating from them. The device could be used in general lighting, decorative and architectural lighting, portable and nonportable lighting, emergency lighting, fiber optic illumination and many other applications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typically in the prior art LED light source either a lens or a reflector is used to collect most of the 2π steradians front solid angle or forward hemispherical wavefront of light radiating from an LED. Recall that the solid angle Ω subtended by a surface S is defined as the surface area Ω of a unit sphere covered by the surface's projection onto the sphere. This can be written as:                               Ω          ≡                      ∫                                          ∫                S                            ⁢                                                                    n                    ^                                    ·                                      ⅆ                    a                                                                    r                  2                                                                    ,                            (        1        )            
where {circumflex over (n)} is a unit vector from the origin, da is the differential area of a surface patch, and r is the distance from the origin to the patch. Written in spherical coordinates with φ the colatitude (polar angle) and θ for the longitude (azimuth), this becomesΩ≡∫∫S sin φdθdφ.  (2)
A solid angle is measured in steradians, and the solid angle corresponding to all of space being subtended is 4π steradians.
Total internal reflection (TIR) is also used where the energy from the LED is collected both by an internal shaped reflector-like surface of a first lens and a second lens formed on either the outside or inside surface of the first lens.
Typically devices using a reflector alone generate a beam with two parts, one portion of the beam is reflected and controlled by the reflector and the other portion of the beam is direct radiation from the LED and is not controlled, i.e. not reflected or refracted by any other element. On a surface onto which this two-part beam is directed, the direct light appears as a large halo around the reflected beam. In the conventional 3 or 5 mm LED package a ball lens is situated in front of a cylindrical rod, and the side emitted energy from the LED is substantially uncontrolled or radiated substantially as it is generated out of the emitter junction in the chip. In TIR systems, some portion of the energy radiated from the LED junction is leaked through the walls of the package and remains uncontrolled. Additionally, there are bulk and form losses as well. In systems with LEDs turned around to point back into a concave reflector, the center energy from the LED is shadowed by the LED package itself, so this energy is typically lost or not collected into a useful beam.
What is needed is some type of design whereby efficient collection of almost all of an LED's radiated energy can be obtained and projected into a directed beam with an illumination distribution needed to be useful.